Isaiah 30 is a very interesting passage that speaks volumes into today's society and the end of the age scenario. There are two justice movements at the end of the age. One is centered on Jesus and brings the message of the gospel to every people group on the earth. The other is centered in humanism and our own ability to solve our problems (alliances not of God's Spirit). Jesus is ultimate justice.
The latter justice movement looks well-intented (although truly rooted in greed). I heard a very popular Christian speaker say, "It used to be that if you went overseas and helped the poor, people called you a missionary, but now if you go overseas and help the poor, they call you 'rockstar'." Today, Opera defines the justice movement, and movements like To Write Love On Her Arms are redefining what people need.
I contacted To Write Love On Her Arms and asked if they were indeed a Christian ministry, as many claimed they were. Their reply said that they started as a Christian movement, but they found that Jesus burns more bridges than he builds, so they are no longer a faith-based movement. For them, love is not rooted in who God is, but is rooted in freedom apart from the person of Jesus.
That reply broke my heart. We have a justice movement that feels genuine sorrow for the poor of the earth but does not know the truth that sets us free. They may build a school or give a person food and shelter, but in the end they still end up in hell.
This movement is even more prevalent on college and school campuses. Love is called tolerance, and truth and justice are completely redefined. Freedom is called lawlessness. All of it leads to destruction.
The true justice movement, however, is also strong. Those who would seek to provide humanitarian aid and spread the truth of Jesus are also making massive steps forward. In the end, humanitarian aid will not be the issue. The truth of the message is what will revealed and contended against. Scripture says that Christians will be hated by all nations because of our message as the stage is set for the Antichrist to take power. The message of Jesus will be hated, and it will be obvious and blatant.
But the message of Jesus will have power. As Isaiah says, "A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”
From Isaiah 30:18 onward, Isaiah begins to describe the true justice movement and what life is like in the New Jerusalem. The Lord vindicates those who wait on Him.
Then in Isaiah 30:27 onward, we see the judgement of God against the false justice movement. You'll notice that intertwined in this message of judgement is the people of the Lord in song! My favorite part is verse 32:
"Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm."
This is the House of Prayer movement at the end of the age! The Lord unleashes judgements in partnership with the songs and the prayers of the saints at the end! This is also found in Psalm 149.
All that to say, I'm interested in true justice that is only found in the truth of Jesus. What good is it to give a person a coat if in the end they still go to hell? The act must be accompanied with the message of Jesus, otherwise no seed is planted at all. Jesus is true justice.
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